First on 12: Columbia County mother and teenage son charged with neighbor's murder

COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga.--- A mother and son alleged criminal duo is now in the Columbia County jail. Forty-one year old Rebecca Sears is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and her 19-year old son Christopher Bowers are accused of murdering sears' next door neighbor and co-worker 41-year-old mother Kay Parsons.

Investigators say she was beaten inside her Grovetown home Wednesday morning, she died the next day.

it's the outcome some never saw coming.A brutal murder..allegedly at the hands of two people Kay parsons knew, very well. Still many questions without answers but the main one is --why?

It's the second homicide in Columbia County in more than two years and while it was a tough one; investigators believe they have the right people, Rebecca sears and her 19-year old son Christopher Bowers.

We have to set emotions aside and answer five questions. Who, what, when, where, and how. And we're confident we've done that, said Capt. Steve Morris of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.

Kay Parsons died Thursday; she was attacked the day before, found beaten in her garage. At first investigators say it appeared Parsons walked in on a burglary and was attacked. They found a bat and claw hammer. Sears and Parsons weren't only neighbors, but also co-workers.

"She was an innocent victim. She dropped her child off at school, she came back home and was murdered,"said Capt. Morris.

Parsons' next door neighbor, Rebecca Sears also claimed she was a victim and her home was burglarized. The next day, Sears also claimed someone shot her then threatened her over money while she was leaving work in Augusta. But Sears herself would be in jail the next night, along with her son. Christopher was questioned just hours after Parsons was found and is now charged with her murder.

"It's just unbelievable that somebody could do to begin with the horrible, horrible way it was done," said neighbor Jean Harmon.

Many details are not being released, like why Parsons was murdered.

"Those details will come out at the appropriate time," said Capt. Morris.

No matter the reason, there are two families who will never be the same.

"I think everyone should be in prayer for both families," said Harmon.

"This is one of the saddest, if not the saddest cases that we've investigated in a long, long time,"said Capt. Morris.

Investigators are looking closely at any additional relationships the two families might have had. Captain Steve Morris says they do not expect additional arrests, but do not rule that out completely. No bond has been set for Sears or her son.

In all, 4 search warrants were served in both Columbia and Richmond counties. The Columbia County Sheriff's Office says this was very much a group effort between them, Richmond county and the community.

Local funeral services for Kay Parsons will be held Sunday March 29, 2009 at 4:00PM in the chapel of Thomas Poteet & Son. Parsons will then be flown to Uniontown, Pennsylvania for services there.

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